The Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center (SOMACC) has opened a new exhibit described as Earthworks on canvas.

Large, free hanging canvases float inches from the wall. This exhibition speaks directly to the history of Ohio land and of the people who, over millennia, lived, worked, and occupied this region. Created specifically for the Southern Ohio Museum, this work is influenced by the ancient mounds and mound culture of mid-southern Ohio.

“We often highlight those parts of the permanent collection that relate to the temporary exhibitions that we host. ‘Art of the Ancients’ is one of our more popular exhibits. This is a contemporary artist’s take on the part of the Museum’s collection that focuses on antiquity,” SOMACC’s Artistic Director Charlotte Gordon said. “Lisa created this exhibition specifically for the Southern Ohio Museum. It is very effective in relating to our community.”

The work is a wonderful juxtaposition to the permanent collection that inspired it, but highlights a much more artistic side.

According to Gordon, the artist has created the works using loose, painted canvases, which also relate to textiles and quilts in the way they are installed. Within the canvases are circles- both cut out and applied – that are lunar and solar references. There are also copper pieces embedded into the surfaces. The works are full of symbolism.

“At first glance, Lisa McLymont’s large canvases seem abstract. However, landscapes and skyscapes soon emerge, presenting vistas where sky and earth meet and fuse,” explains Gordon. “They emit the sense of the long, slow passing of time; days that flow into nights, that flow back into days, that flow into eons”

Gordon described the work further, saying that “Like the prehistoric periods that covered thousands of years, time in the gallery slows down when we are in front of these paintings. Just as the ancient, people-built mounds aligned to the solar and lunar calendars, these paintings are governed by orbs. The moons rise, the suns set, the spirit orbs float above the horizon. Days are marked, and centuries pass; humans still mark time by the same rising and setting, arcs tracing the sky. Some orbs are cut out, leaving open holes, some are filled in, and some are attached on the surface, lending a variety of textures and interpretations. Other canvases have hammered copper circles that are attached to the surface of the paintings.”

The gallery is an important reflection on the history of our land, as well as the people before it.

“’Signs Of Life Within the Substratum’ is an exhibition that contextualizes our lives in this moment. Human development is based on those who came before. We have not appeared from a vacuum, quite the contrary. Technological discoveries lead to further advancements; creating fire, led to melting bronze, and so on, until we carry in our pockets devices that communicate, navigate, locate, track time, and play music,” Gordon said. “The canvases integrate references to an early technology with the use of the hammered copper elements. They also reference early trading routes with visual paths that reflect the walking routes that connect people exchanging technology, tools, and implements.”

There will be a gallery tour with the artist on Friday, February 17, 10 a.m.

“The feedback has been very positive. It is a rich view of our past as a community and the land formations around us,” Gordon said. “The Hopewell and Adena Cultures are getting renewed attention right now, and it is always refreshing when we are given a new way to think about something we think we know.”

“Signs Of Life Within the Substratum” is currently on display at the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center. The museum is at 825 Gallia Street in Portsmouth. There is also a handicapped accessible entry point on Sixth Street. They are open Tuesday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m. There is a voluntary donation of $2. A member of the museum may be reached at 740.354.5629.

The next exhibit will be “Under the Sun: Landscape Paintings by Rod Bouc,” opening April 2.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved